


Freedom for Rey

by filhadoboto



Category: Reylo - Fandom, Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VIII: The Last Jedi, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, Star Wars- After TLJ
Genre: Ben Solo - Freeform, F/M, Force Bond, Force bond theories, Jedi Rey, Kylo Ren - Freeform, POV Kylo Ren, Post-TLJ, Rey - Freeform, Rey has a new haircut, Rey of Jakku, Reylo - Freeform, Supreme Leader Kylo Ren, changes
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-15
Updated: 2018-06-15
Packaged: 2019-05-23 20:47:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,676
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14941112
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/filhadoboto/pseuds/filhadoboto
Summary: After the Battle of Crait, both the First Order and the Resistance must conform to their new realities. The same goes for Rey and Kylo Ren in relation to their roles as Jedi and Supreme Leader. When the Force decides that the time has come for them to talk again and open the bond between them, Kylo Ren is taken by surprise by the changes in Rey.





	Freedom for Rey

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! English is not my native language, sorry for grammar errors (In google translate I trust!).

The war seemed more and more far from its end.

Contrary to what everyone in the First Order had thought, letting the Resistance dying was not enough to leave the galaxy at its feet or more docile. Many Systems that were previously neutral or indifferent to the conflict had openly declared themselves against the First Order.

Reports of First Order Intelligence said that the Rebellion was gradually rebuilding with the help of old and new allies. But Kylo knew that it would take a long time to become a military force to be recognized and able to oppose the might of the First Order. He also knew what Snoke would do with the Systems that were now opposed to his regime: he would order them to be destroyed. Just as he had done with the Republic and almost with the Ileenium System. Just as his grandfather Darth Vader had done to Alderan, his mother's planet.

The answer was always to destroy, annihilate, massacre those who did not want to recognize whoever was in power. It was like that with Palpatine. It was like that with Snoke. And that was exactly what he _would not do_. Already there had been many losses and other outlets were possible. Moreover, destroying planets and entire Systems just to keep the beings of the Galaxy in their power would not work forever. Fear would not allow peace to last. He knew there were other ways, for he had lived a part of his life with a Senator and a Smuggler, and he had learned from them that there was always another way out.

And it was precisely these "other outlets" that Supreme Leader Kylo Ren had tried to show to his commanders. And though his orders were law, he was finding it rather difficult to make the First Order follow the path he wanted it to follow, since everyone had expected _him_ to continue with the same course of action as Snoke.

His head ached. Staying in the same room with people talking to him and trying to convince him to change his mind was one of the worst things about being the Supreme Leader. Everyone in that room knew how dangerous he was and that he would not hesitate to kill everyone for discussing his orders, but still everyone would discuss his decisions as if they were voting. _Unfortunately_ , he could not kill everyone who was discussing his ideas and decisions, as this would only benefit those who wanted to take the power of his hands.

There were still doubts about the circumstances of Snoke's death. And he knew that many of those in the room with him suspected that he had some kind of involvement in the case. Of course, Kylo Ren would never tell them that he had split Snoke in half to save the _girl's life_. The Resistance had already caused a good amount of damage and putting the blame for the murder of its former Leader on the back of a member of the Resistance was the best way out.

Raddus's daring maneuver had destroyed several of the destroyers and led to the collapse of the Supremacy, and because of this, the Finalizer became the main ship of the First Order, from which Kylo Ren commanded everything. Many valuable resources had been lost with the destruction of Supremacy, but thanks to the quick thinking of those on the ship and the way it had been designed, many important things had been rescued and relocated to other destroyers.

Hux, sitting to his right, would do anything to keep his face from revealing his thoughts. But Kylo could not only feel the hatred and aversion of the General through the Force, but he could also glimpse images in his mind: Hux before the First Order announcing Kylo's execution; Kylo all broken and bloody being thrown at his feet; Hux using Kylo's saber to decapitate him; the howling of the troopers while acclaiming Hux as Supreme Leader!

_Yes, I'm sure you'd love that, you kriffing bastard! But I'm not as easy to kill as you imagine._

When his patience reached the limit with the complaints in the room and once again someone suggested the absurd idea of destroying the planets that opposed them, Kylo got up from the chair and hit his right hand on the table in front of him. His voice was controlled, but his eyes burned with fury as he said, " _I will not allow any more planet to be destroyed_." He looked at each of them before continuing. "And I want any attack on the Systems that support the rebels be suspended _immediately_. As I've told you all, I have other plans for these Systems. "He could feel through the Force the waves of fear that came from them. " _Was I clear_?"

"Yes, Supreme Leader." they replied in unison.

With the meeting finally over, and with everyone understanding what their roles would be from now on, the Supreme Leader went to his private quarters. It was the only place where there was no complaint from his commanders or questions from Hux. Where he could enjoy the absence of Snoke's voice in his head. Where he could be in peace. Alone.

Governing the galaxy alone would be an arduous task, but he knew what had to be done. Of course, with the _girl_ next to him, his equal, his light, everything would be easier to bear…

"Stop thinking about that _scavenger_!" He scolded as he opened the door to his chambers.

Once inside, Kylo got rid of his clothes and took a shower. His body seemed to weigh tons. It was at times like this, when the meetings with his subordinates took all the energy from him and his body seemed about to disconnect alone because of the fatigue, the extreme tiredness, that he most wanted to see her. It was when his body weakened that his will to forget the _girl_ weakened and his mind wandered to the moments that the two had shared.

He knew better than to think of her. He had to leave her in his past since _she_ had not chosen to be part of his future. He had offered everything he had to her. _Everything_. And in the end, he was left unconscious in the midst of the carnage that the two of them had done. When he woke up and found only Hux, ready to kill him, with the news that she had run away and left him behind, it was clear what he had to do. Like her, he had chosen one side and moved on. No, he should not think of her. But just as the light insisted on attracting him, the image of _her_ refused to leave his mind.

Kylo walked toward the bed when a familiar sensation took over his senses. The bond, which had been quiet for months, opened and the world around him was silent. He had not expected to find her again. In his anger, shortly after the battle at Crait, he had sworn that if he saw her again he would make her regret for having filled him with hope and then abandon him, as everyone else had done in the past. He had rehearsed the words, the gestures. He had decided the two would be mortal enemies. He had sworn her life would be taken by his hands.

For weeks, he'd struggled to keep her from his thoughts, though he could never keep her from his dreams, where her hazel eyes pursued him. He had struggled not to suffocate in growing loneliness as he took control of the First Order. Sometimes he wished the bond would open just so he could see her face one last time. But other times, he wished that the bond had died with Snoke, and that the connection in Crait was only one last blessing of the Force. And now the bond between them was open and he knew that when he turned he would see her. And that's what he did.

Kylo hesitated.

_Is the bond so strong now that it allows me to see not only where she is but also the people who are with her?_

He could feel Rey's presence in the room ... But he only saw a girl sitting with her back to him, stirring something that required her full attention, dressed in a similar way as Rey, with Rey's body, but ... but the hair was _wrong_.

When he first met her, Rey wore her hair tied in three buns, and more recently, she was wearing half tied and half-loosened. And this girl he was seeing had her hair cut short in unequal locks, but still extremely feminine. He looked around for Rey. But there were only the two of them. Then the girl looked back and their eyes met. Hazel eyes stared at him. His breath caught in his chest and he felt his mouth open in complete puzzlement. All the words he had rehearsed to speak were forgotten.

Rey stood there in front of him, more beautiful than he could remember. She got up and he saw that the table in front of her was full of old books and they stood face to face. Her hand rested on the blaster at her waist, in a menacing pose. But despite this, he felt no hostility through the bond. There was surprise, curiosity, a little fear, and beneath it all there was ... _joy_? But her face was calm and controlled.

"Will not you yell at me and call me a monster?" He teased, but she said nothing. "You're going to shoot me, like you did the first time we met?" She just stared at him. "You know it does not work through the bond. If you want to kill me, you'll have to come to me personally, _Jedi_."

She stared at him for a few moments, seemed to ponder what to say to him. "Your life will not be taken by me Kylo Ren. Your destiny belongs to the Force and it is not over with you yet. One day you'll realize that the Force always gets what it wants." She took her hand off the blaster and continued. "What are you doing here _Supreme Leader_? I thought that with Snoke's death the bond between us had broken."

"I thought so too, and you know very well that neither of us has any control over the bond, and I know as much as you do about how it works."

"That is, nothing."

She sat down in the chair again and signaled to him to sit on what he believed to be her bed.

"But I've been thinking about everything Snoke said and I think I have a hunch." he said.

"A hunch? "

"Yes."

"What kind of _hunch_?" Rey stared at him, looking genuinely curious.

Kylo allowed herself a moment to savor her curiosity. "Bonds between Force users only end with the death of one or both of them. And when Snoke forged that connection between us he knew that only the death of one of us would destroy it. He also knew I was not strong enough to completely reject the call of the light or suppress my feelings for my parents and my defeat through your hands made him extremely furious. Then he joined our minds and took advantage of our weaknesses so that he could have Luke's location and test me. My test would be to kill you and thus destroy the bond and make me stronger. So, I could face Luke and eliminate the Jedi once and for all. I think he did not imagine my _compassion_ for you would be stronger than my loyalty to him." He stopped and waited for her to say something, but she just looked at him, then he continued. "So, I think if we want to end these _meetings_ , one of us will have to give up our own lives."

She pondered his words for a moment, "That makes sense. And since we both still cannot kill us, the bond will remain."

He nodded. "That's right."

"Any guess about how it works?"

"Not yet."

"Or something about what we can do to stop it from connecting us?"

"Also no. How about you? "

She sighed. "The only thing that makes sense to me is that all of this is the _will_ of the Force."

He frowned. "Do you think it's the Force that decides when to connect us? Do you think it's the will of the Force that enemies are like this, _so close_ to each other?"

"Kylo, you and I are instruments of the Force, so yes, I think there is a purpose behind all that is happening to us," she said, then looked at her hands and back at him. "And after all that has happened, I no longer consider you my enemy."

He stared at her in disbelief. "If you do not consider me your enemy, then why did not you join me?" His voice was filled with anger and pain and he took a deep breath before continuing. "Rey, we could rule together, end this war and make the galaxy a better place for everyone!"

She looked at him with sad eyes. "I told you that I couldn’t follow you on the path you had chosen. This isn’t the will of the Force, Kylo. And I know when you're ready, you'll make the right choice."

He was already tired of hearing about the will of the Force and about being its instrument. He had spent most of his life listening to it and it was the last thing he wanted to discuss with her. He was curious about another subject.

"May I ask why you cut your hair?"

She looked surprised at his question. She ran a hand around her neck where the ends of a few strands touched her skin and smiled.

"I could tell you that it's because it bothers me when I'm training." She took her hand from her neck and folded her arms in front of her body. "But the real reason is a little simpler. _I let my past die_ , just as you advised me to do." She started. "When I was in Ahch-To with Luke, you said that this was the only way for me to become who I was meant to be." She looked at him and he nodded. "As you well know, I waited for the return of my parents all my life. I had clung to the hope that everything was a mistake, that they had been forced to leave me in Jakku, but that they were counting the days to be able to see me again. _All my life_ I dressed the same way and used the hair the same way I wore the last time they saw me. I could not risk not being recognized. I wanted to be _recognized_ by my family. I wish that when they came back and saw me they would have no doubt that I was their _daughter_. But I waited in vain, since my family was dead." She smiled sadly. "You were also right about me looking for my parents everywhere. I did it without realizing it." She took a deep breath. "Now that I've accepted the truth about their fate and mine, I can be whatever I choose to be, to do whatever I want to do." She ran her right hand over her exposed neck. "I started with my hair. He was the biggest symbol of my desperate waiting, how much I wanted to be rescued and loved. Now it’s the symbol of my _freedom_."

She smiled when she finished speaking. And Kylo stared at her in amazement.

"You look _so_ beautiful," he heard himself say.

Her face flushed and when he felt his face heat up he knew he must be as red as she was. She opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, the bond closed.

Back at the Finalizer, Kylo Ren was smiling.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading it!
> 
> Did you like it? Didn't? Let me know. Leave a comment. Leave kudos.
> 
> Say "Hello" to me on Tumblr or Twitter: @filhadoboto


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